Smuggled Cocaine Worth Million Euros Found in Banana Cargo in Greece
In the port of the Greek city of Piraeus, 22 packages of cocaine worth about €1 million were found in a container with bananas, Ekathimerini reports.
The drugs were discovered on 28 November after receiving intelligence about containers of bananas from Ecuador. In cooperation with Piraeus Customs, 22 plastic bags of cocaine with a total weight of over 26 kilograms were found. The estimated value of the seized cocaine is around EUR 1 million.
According to the investigation, between 4 and 11 November, an international criminal organisation hid the drugs in a cargo of bananas at the Guayaquil container terminal in Ecuador. The illegal substances were to be transported to Greece.
Two employees of Piraeus Containers Terminal SA, aged 47 and 27, were detained for allegedly facilitating the export of a large quantity of drugs. Four mobile phones, €3,250 in cash, two USB drives, a laptop, an external hard drive, car licence plates and an unused container seal were seized during searches of their homes and vehicles.
The investigative actions aimed at identifying and detaining other members of the criminal organisation are ongoing.